How to remove Spora Ransomware (Virus Removal Guide)

Spora Ransomware is a file-encrypting ransomware, which will encrypt the personal documents found on victim’s computer, then displays a message which offers to decrypt the data if a payment in Bitcoins is made.

We cannot help your recover your files, and we recommend that you use ShadowExplorer or (free) file recovery software to restore your documents. This guide was written to help you remove the infection itself, and if a 100% proven method to recover the encrypted files is found we will update this guide.

1. How did the Spora ransomware get on my computer?

The Spora ransomware is distributed via spam email containing infected attachments or links to malicious websites. Cyber-criminals spam out an email, with forged header information, tricking you into believing that it is from a shipping company like DHL or FedEx. The email tells you that they tried to deliver a package to you, but failed for some reason. Sometimes the emails claim to be notifications of a shipment you have made. Either way, you can’t resist being curious as to what the email is referring to – and open the attached file (or click on a link embedded inside the email). And with that, your computer is infected with the Spora ransomware.

2. What is Spora ransomware?

The Spora ransomware targets all versions of Windows including Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7. This infection is notable due to how it encrypts the user’s files – namely, it uses AES-265 and RSA encryption method – in order to ensure that the affected user has no choice but to purchase the private key.

Spora ransomware searches for files with certain file extensions to encrypt. The files it encrypts include important productivity documents and files such as .doc, .docx, .xls, .pdf, among others. When these files are detected, this infection will encrypt them, so they are no longer able to be opened.

Files targeted are those commonly found on most PCs today; a list of file extensions for targeted files include:

If the encryption process is successful, Spora will generate a .html and .KEY file, placing them in all folders that contain encrypted files. These .html and .KEY files can have the following format:
Country format:
USXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.HTML
RUXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.HTML
FRXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.HTML
ID format:
[VICTIM_ID].HTML
When the infection has finished scanning your computer it will also delete all of the Shadow Volume Copies that are on the affected computer. It does this so that you cannot use the shadow volume copies to restore your encrypted files.

Spora’s creators have made it easy for victims to upload the unique encryption key used to lock their files and send them a payment. They even provide victims with an array of different recovery options. A complete restore is priced at $79 or victims can pay to restore only specific files for $30 each. Victims can also remove the Spora Ransomware infection for an extra $20.

3. Is my computer infected with Spora Ransomware?

When Spora ransowmare infects your computer it will scan all the drive letters for targeted file types and encrypts them. Once these files are encrypted, they will no longer able to be opened by your normal programs.
When Spora ransowmare has finished encrypting the victim’s files, it will also display a HTML ransom note in your default browser. These ransom notes include instructions on how to connect to the Decrypt Service where you can learn more about what happened to your files and how you can make a payment.
The messages displayed by this ransomware infection can be localized depending on the user’s location, with text written in the appropriate language.

4. Is it possible to decrypt files encrypted by Spora ransomware?

No, at this time it’s not possible to recover the files encrypted by the Spora ransomware.

Spora ransomware is notable due to how it encrypts the user’s files – namely, it uses AES-265 and RSA encryption method – in order to ensure that the affected user has no choice but to purchase the private key. The RSA public key can only be decrypted with its corresponding private key. Since the AES key is hidden using RSA encryption and the RSA private key is not available, decrypting the files is not feasible as of this writing.

Brute forcing the decryption key is not realistic due to the length of time required to break an AES encryption key. Unfortunately, once the Spora encryption of the data is complete, decryption is not feasible without paying the ransom.
Because the needed private key to unlock the encrypted file is only available through the cyber criminals, victims may be tempted to purchase it and pay the exorbitant fee. However, doing so may encourage these bad guys to continue and even expand their operations.

Restore the files encrypted by Spora ransomware with recovery software

In some cases, it may be possible to recover previous versions of the encrypted files using System Restore or other recovery software used to obtain “shadow copies” of files.

Spora ransomware will attempt to delete all shadow copies when you first start any executable on your computer after becoming infected. Thankfully, the infection is not always able to remove the shadow copies, so you should continue to try restoring your files using this method.

You can download ShadowExplorer from the below link:SHADOW EXPLORER DOWNLOAD LINK(This link will open a new web page from where you can download “ShadowExplorer”)

Once you have downloaded and installed ShadowExplorer, you can follow the below video guide on how to restore your files while using this program.

Alternatively, you can use the System Restore to try to recover the encrypted documents.

5. How to remove the Spora ransomware (Virus Removal Guide)

It’s important to understand that by starting the removal process you risk losing your files, as we cannot guarantee that you will be able to recover them. Furthermore, your files may be permanently compromised when trying to remove this infection or trying to recover the encrypted documents. Malwarebytes and HitmanPro can detect and remove this infection, however these programs cannot recover your encrypted files.

STEP 1: Use Malwarebytes to remove Spora Ransomware from Windows

Malwarebytes is a powerful on-demand scanner which will remove the Spora Ransomware from your computer. It is important to note that Malwarebytes will run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

You can download download Malwarebytes from the below link.MALWAREBYTES DOWNLOAD LINK(This link open a new page from where you can download “Malwarebytes”)

When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the “mb3-setup-consumer” file to install Malwarebytes on your computer.
You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow Malwarebytes to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.
To install Malwarebytes on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.

Once installed, Malwarebytes will automatically start and update the antivirus database. To start a system scan you can click on the “Scan Now” button.

Malwarebytes will now start scanning your computer for malicious programs.
This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.

When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected.
To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine Selected” button.

Malwarebytes will now quarantine all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found.
To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
When the malware removal process is complete, you can close Malwarebytes and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 2: Double-check for the Spora ransomware with HitmanPro

HitmanPro finds and removes malware, adware, bots, and other threats that even the best antivirus suite can oftentimes miss. It’s designed to run alongside your antivirus suite, firewall, and other security tools.

You can download HitmanPro from the below link:HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK(This link will open a new web page from where you can download “HitmanPro”)

When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on the “hitmanpro” file to install this program on your computer.
You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow HitmanPro to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Now click on the Next button to continue with the scan process.

HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malware.

When it has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found as shown in the image below. Click on the “Next” button, to remove malware.

Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
When the process is complete, you can close HitmanPro and continue with the rest of the instructions.

How to prevent your computer from becoming infected by Spora ransomware

To protect your computer from the Spora ransomware, you should always have an antivirus installed on your computer and always have a backup for your personal documents.

As an extra protection method against this type of ransowamre, you can use HitmanPro.Alert, which will prevent any file encrypting malware from running.

Your computer should now be free of the Spora ransomware infection. If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove Spora ransomware, please do one of the following:

HitmanPro.Alert prevents good programs from being exploited, stops ransomware from running, and detects a host of different intruders by analyzing their behavior. HitmanPro.Alert will run alongside your current antivirus without any issues.

TIP: What is “malware”?

Malware - short for malicious software - is an umbrella term that refers to any software program deliberately created to perform an unauthorized and often harmful action.
Viruses, backdoors, keyloggers, spyware ,adware, rootkits, and trojans are just a few examples of what is considered malware.
A few years ago,it was once sufficient to call something a 'virus' or 'trojan horse', however today's infection methods and vectors evolved and the terms 'virus and trojan' no longer provided a satisfactory definition for all the types of rogue programs that exist.

TIP: Avoid malware like a pro!

Keep your software up-to-date. This is especially true for things like your operating system, security software and Web browser, but also holds true for just about any program that you frequently use. Viruses often take advantages of bugs or exploits in the code of these programs to propagate to new machines, and while the companies that make the programs are usually quick to fix the holes, those fixes only work if they have been downloaded to your computer.

It's also important to avoid taking actions that could put your computer at risk. These include opening unsolicited email attachments, visiting unknown websites or downloading software from untrustworthy websites or peer-to-peer file transfer networks.

Need help?

If you would like help with any of these fixes, you can ask for free malware removal support in the Malware Removal Assistance forum. In this support forum, a trained staff member will help you clean-up your device by using advanced tools. Never used a forum? Learn how.

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